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Rerum Novarum
On the Condition of the Working Classes
Pope Leo XIII, 1891
Encyclical Letter of Pope Leo XIII issued on May 15, 1891.
To Our Venerable Brethren the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, Bishops and other
Ordinaries of Places Having Peace and Communion with the Apostolic See:
1. Once the passion for revolutionary change was aroused -- a passion long disturbing
governments -- it was bound to follow sooner or later that eagerness for change would pass
from the political sphere over into the related field of economics. In fact, new developments
in industry, new techniques striking out on new paths, changed relations of employer and
employee, abounding wealth among a very small number and destitution among the masses,
increased self-reliance on the part of workers as well as a closer bond of union with one
another, and, in addition to all this, a decline in morals have caused conflict to break forth.
2. The momentous nature of the questions involved in this conflict is evident from the fact
that it keeps men's minds in anxious expectation, occupying the talents of the learned, the
discussions of the wise and experienced, the assemblies of the people, the judgment of
lawmakers, and the deliberations of rulers, so that now no topic more strongly holds men's
interests.
3. Therefore, Venerable Brethren, with the cause of the Church and the common welfare
before Us, We have thought it advisable, following Our custom on other occasions when We
issued to you the Encyclicals "On Political Power", "On Human Liberty", "On the Christian
Constitution of States", and others of similar nature, which seemed opportune to refute
erroneous opinions, that We ought to do the same now, and for the same reasons, "On the
Condition of Workers." We have on occasion touched more than once upon this subject. In
this Encyclical, however, consciousness of Our Apostolic office admonishes Us to treat the
entire question thoroughly, in order that the principles may stand out in clear light, and the
conflict may thereby be brought to an end as required by truth and equity.
4. The problem is difficult to resolve and is not free from dangers. It is hard indeed to fix the
boundaries of the rights and duties within which the rich and the proletariat -- those who
furnish material things and those who furnish work -- ought to be restricted in relation to each
other. The controversy is truly dangerous, for in various places it is being twisted by turbulent
and crafty men to pervert judgment as to truth and seditiously to incite the masses.
5. In any event, We see clearly, and all are agreed that the poor must be speedily and fittingly
cared for, since the great majority of them live undeservedly in miserable and wretched
conditions.
6. After the old trade guilds had been destroyed in the last century, and no protection was
substituted in their place, and when public institutions and legislation had cast off traditional
religious teaching, it gradually came about that the present age handed over the workers, each
alone and defenseless, to the inhumanity of employers and the unbridled greed of
competitors. A devouring usury, although often condemned by the Church, but practiced
nevertheless under another form by avaricious and grasping men, has increased the evil; and
in addition the whole process of production as well as trade in every kind of goods has been
brought almost entirely under the power of a few, so that a very few rich and exceedingly rich
men have laid a yoke almost of slavery on the unnumbered masses of non-owning workers.
7. To cure this evil, the Socialists, exciting the envy of the poor toward the rich, contend that
it is necessary to do away with private possession of goods and in its place to make the goods
of individuals common to all, and that the men who preside over a municipality or who direct
the entire State should act as administrators of these goods. They hold that, by such a transfer
of private goods from private individuals to the community, they can cure the present evil
through dividing wealth and benefits equally among the citizens.
8. But their program is so unsuited for terminating the conflict that it actually injures the
workers themselves. Moreover, it is highly unjust, because it violates the rights of lawful
owners, perverts the function of the State, and throws governments into utter confusion.
9. Clearly the essential reason why those who engage in any gainful occupation undertake
labor, and at the same time the end to which workers immediately look, is to procure property
for themselves and to retain it by individual right as theirs and as their very own. When the
worker places his energy and his labor at the disposal of another, he does so for the purpose
of getting the means necessary for livelihood. He seeks in return for the work done,
accordingly, a true and full right not only to demand his wage but to dispose of it as he sees
fit. Therefore, if he saves something by restricting expenditures and invests his savings in a
piece of land in order to keep the fruit of his thrift more safe, a holding of this kind is
certainly nothing else than his wage under a different form; and on this account land which
the worker thus buys is necessarily under his full control as much as the wage which he
earned by his labor. But, as is obvious, it is clearly in this that the ownership of movable and
immovable goods consists. Therefore, inasmuch as the Socialists seek to transfer the goods of
private persons to the community at large, they make the lot of all wage earners worse,
because in abolishing the freedom to dispose of wages they take away from them by this very
act the hope and the opportunity of increasing their property and of securing advantages for
themselves.
10. But, what is of more vital concern, they propose a remedy openly in conflict with justice,
inasmuch as nature confers on man the right to possess things privately as his own.
11. In this respect also there is the widest difference between man and other living beings.
For brute beasts are not self- ruling, but are ruled and governed by a two-fold innate instinct,
which not only keeps their faculty of action alert and develops their powers properly but also
impels and determines their individual movements. By one instinct they are induced to
protect themselves and their lives; by the other, to preserve their species. In truth, they attain
both ends readily by using what is before them and within immediate range; and they cannot,
of course, go further because they are moved to action by the senses alone and by the separate
things perceived by the senses.
Man's nature is quite different. In man there is likewise the entire and full perfection of
animal nature, and consequently on this ground there is given to man, certainly no less than to
every kind of living being, to enjoy the benefits of corporeal goods. Yet animal nature,
however perfectly possessed, is far from embracing human nature, but rather is much lower
than human nature, having been created to serve and obey it. What stands out and excels in
us, what makes man man and distinguishes him generically from the brute, is the mind and
reason. And owing to the fact that this animal alone has reason, it is necessary that man have
goods not only to be used, which is common to all living things, but also to be possessed by
stable and perpetual right; and this applies not merely to those goods which are consumed by
use, but to those also which endure after being used.
12. This is even more clearly evident, if the essential nature of human beings is examined
more closely. Since man by his reason understands innumerable things, linking and
combining the future with the present, and since he is master of his own actions, therefore,
under the eternal law, and under the power of God most wisely ruling all things, he rules
himself by the foresight of his own counsel. Wherefore it is in his power to choose the things
which he considers best adapted to benefit him not only in the present but also in the future.
Whence it follows that dominion not only over the fruits of the earth, but also over the earth
itself, ought to rest in man, since he sees that things necessary for the future are furnished him
out of the produce of the earth. The needs of every man are subject, as it were, to constant
recurrences, so that, satisfied today, they make new demands tomorrow. Therefore, nature
necessarily gave man something stable and perpetually lasting on which he can count for
continuous support. But nothing can give continuous support of this kind save the earth with
its great abundance.
13. There is no reason to interpose provision by the State, for man is older than the State.
Wherefore he had to possess by nature his own right to protect his life and body before any
polity had been formed.
14. The fact that God gave the whole human race the earth to use and enjoy cannot indeed in
any manner serve as an objection against private possessions. For God is said to have given
the earth to mankind in common, not because He intended indiscriminate ownership of it by
all, but because He assigned no part to anyone in ownership, leaving the limits of private
possessions to be fixed by the industry of men and the institutions of peoples. Yet, however
the earth may be apportioned among private owners, it does not cease to serve the common
interest of all, inasmuch as no living being is sustained except by what the fields bring forth.
Those who lack resources supply labor, so that it can be truly affirmed that the entire scheme
of securing a livelihood consists in the labor which a person expends either on his own land
or in some working occupation, the compensation for which is drawn ultimately from no
other source than from the varied products of the earth and is exchanged for them.
15. For this reason it also follows that private possessions are clearly in accord with nature.
The earth indeed produces in great abundance the things to preserve and, especially, to
perfect life, but of itself it could not produce them without human cultivation and care.
Moreover, since man expends his mental energy and his bodily strength in procuring the
goods of nature, by this very act he appropriates that part of physical nature to himself which
he has cultivated. On it he leaves impressed, as it were, a kind of image of his person, so that
it must be altogether just that he should possess that part as his very own and that no one in
any way should be permitted to violate his right.
16. The force of these arguments is so evident that it seems amazing that certain revivers of
obsolete theories dissent from them. These men grant the individual the use of the soil and
the varied fruits of the farm, but absolutely deny him the right to hold as owner either the
ground on which he has built or the farm he has cultivated. When they deny this right they
fail to see that a man will be defrauded of the things his labor has produced. The land, surely,
that has been worked by the hand and the art of the tiller greatly changes in aspect. The
wilderness is made fruitful; the barren field, fertile. But those things through which the soil
has been improved so inhere in the soil and are so thoroughly intermingled with it, that they
are for the most part quite inseparable from it. And, after all, would justice permit anyone to
own and enjoy that upon which another has toiled? As effects follow the cause producing
them, so it is just that the fruit of labor belongs precisely to those who have performed the
labor.
17. Rightly therefore, the human race as a whole, moved in no wise by the dissenting
opinions of a few, and observing nature carefully, has found in the law of nature itself the
basis of the distribution of goods, and, by the practice of all ages, has consecrated private
possession as something best adapted to man's nature and to peaceful and tranquil living
together. Now civil laws, which, when just, derive their power from the natural law itself,
confirm and, even by the use of force, protect this right of which we speak. -- And this same
right has been sanctioned by the authority of the divine law, which forbids us most strictly
even to desire what belongs to another. "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his
house, nor his field, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is his."1
18. Rights of this kind which reside in individuals are seen to have much greater validity
when viewed as fitted into and connected with the obligations of human beings in family life.
19. There is no question that in choosing a state of life it is within the power and discretion of
individuals to prefer the one or the other state, either to follow the counsel of Jesus Christ
regarding virginity or to bind oneself in marriage. No law of man can abolish the natural and
primeval right of marriage, or in any way set aside the chief purpose of matrimony
established in the beginning by the authority of God: "Increase and multiply.”2 Behold,
therefore, the family, or rather the society of the household, a very small society indeed, but a
true one, and older than any polity! For that reason it must have certain rights and duties of its
own independent of the State. Thus, right of ownership, which we have shown to be
bestowed on individual persons by nature, must be assigned to man in his capacity as head of
a family. Nay rather, this right is all the stronger, since the human person in family life
embraces much more.
20. It is a most sacred law of nature that the father of a family see that his offspring are
provided with all the necessities of life, and nature even prompts him to desire to provide and
to furnish his children, who, in fact reflect and in a sense continue his person, with the means
of decently protecting themselves against harsh fortune in the uncertainties of life. He can do
this surely in no other way than by owning fruitful goods to transmit by inheritance to his
children. As already noted, the family like the State is by the same token a society in the
strictest sense of the term, and is governed by its own proper authority, namely, by that of the
father. Wherefore, assuming, of course, that those limits be observed which are fixed by its
immediate purpose, the family assuredly possesses rights, at least equal with those of civil
society, in respect to choosing and employing the things necessary for its protection and its
just liberty. We say "at least equal" because, inasmuch as domestic living together is prior
both in thought and in fact to uniting into a polity, it follows that its rights and duties are also
prior and more in conformity with nature. But if citizens, if families, after becoming
participants in common life and society, were to experience injury in a commonwealth
1 Deuteronomy 5,21.
2 Genesis 1,28.
instead of help, impairment of their rights instead of protection, society would be something
to be repudiated rather than to be sought for.
21. To desire, therefore, that the civil power should enter arbitrarily into the privacy of homes
is a great and pernicious error. If a family perchance is in such extreme difficulty and is so
completely without plans that it is entirely unable to help itself, it is right that the distress by
remedied by public aid, for each individual family is a part of the community. Similarly, if
anywhere there is a grave violation of mutual rights within the family walls, public authority
shall restore to each his right; for this is not usurping the rights of citizens, but protecting and
confirming them with just and due care. Those in charge of public affairs, however, must stop
here; nature does not permit them to go beyond these limits. Paternal authority is such that it
can be neither abolished nor absorbed by the State, because it has the same origin in common
with that of man's own life. "Children are a part of their father," and, as it were, a kind of
extension of the father's person; and, strictly speaking, not through themselves, but through
the medium of the family society in which they are begotten, they enter into the participate in
civil society. And for the very reason that children "are by nature part of their father...before
they have the use of free will, they are kept under the care of their parents."3 Inasmuch as the
Socialists, therefore, disregard care by parents and in its place introduce care by the State,
they act against natural justice and dissolve the structure of the home.
22. And apart from the injustice involved, it is only too evident what turmoil and disorder
would obtain among all classes; and what a harsh and odious enslavement of citizens would
result! The door would be open to mutual envy, detraction, and dissension. If incentives to
ingenuity and skill in individual persons were to be abolished, the very fountains of wealth
would necessarily dry up; and the equality conjured up by the Socialist imagination would, in
reality, be nothing but uniform wretchedness and meanness for one and all, without
distinction.
23. From all these conversations, it is perceived that the fundamental principle of Socialism
which would make all possessions public property is to be utterly rejected because it injures
the very ones whom it seeks to help, contravenes the natural rights of individual persons, and
throws the functions of the State and public peace into confusion. Let it be regarded,
therefore, as established that in seeking help for the masses this principle before all is to be
considered as basic, namely, that private ownership must be preserved inviolate. With this
understood, we shall explain whence the desired remedy is to be sought.
24. We approach the subject with confidence and surely by Our right, for the question under
consideration is certainly one for which no satisfactory solution will be found unless religion
and the Church have been called upon to aid. Moreover, since the safeguarding of religion
and of all things within the jurisdiction of the Church is primarily Our stewardship, silence on
Our part might be regarded as failure in Our duty.
25. Assuredly, a question as formidable as this requires the attention and effort of others as
well, namely, the heads of the State, employers and the rich, and finally, those in whose
behalf efforts are being made, the workers themselves. Yet without hesitation We affirm that
if the Church is disregarded, human striving will be in vain. Manifestly, it is the Church
which draws from the Gospel the teachings through which the struggle can be composed
3 St. Thomas, “Summa Theologica”, II-II, Q.10, Art. 12.
entirely, or, after its bitterness is removed, can certainly become more tempered. It is the
Church, again, that strives not only to instruct the mind but to regulate by her precepts the life
and morals of individuals, that ameliorates the condition of the workers through her
numerous and beneficent institutions, and that wishes and aims to have the thought and
energy of all classes of society united to this end, that the interests of the workers be
protected as fully as possible. And to accomplish this purpose she holds that the laws and the
authority of the State, within reasonable limits, ought to be employed.
26. Therefore, let it be laid down in the first place that a condition of human existence must
be borne with, namely, that in civil society the lowest cannot be made equal to the highest.
Socialists, of course, agitate the contrary, but all struggling against nature is vain. There are
truly very great and very many natural differences among men. Neither the talents, nor the
skill, nor the health, nor the capacities of all are the same, and unequal fortune follows of
itself upon necessary inequality in respect to these endowments. And clearly this condition of
things is adapted to benefit both individuals and the community; for to carry on its affairs
community life requires varied aptitudes and diverse services, and to perform these diverse
services men are impelled most by differences in individual property holdings.
27. So far as bodily labor is concerned, man even before the Fall was not destined to be
wholly idle; but certainly what his will at that time would have freely embraced to his soul's
delight, necessity afterwards forced him to accept, with a feeling of irksomeness, for the
expiation of his guilt. "Cursed be the earth in thy work: in thy labor thou shalt eat of it all the
days of thy life."4 Likewise there is to be no end on earth of other hardships, for the evil
consequences of sin are hard, trying, and bitter to bear, and will necessarily accompany men
even to the end of life. Therefore, to suffer and endure is human, and although men may
strive in all possible ways, they will never be able by any power or art wholly to banish such
tribulations from human life. If any claim they can do this, if they promise the poor in their
misery a life free from all sorrow and vexation and filled with repose and perpetual pleasures,
they actually impose upon these people and perpetuate a fraud which will ultimately lead to
evils greater than the present. The best course is to view human affairs as they are and, as We
have stated, at the same time to seek appropriate relief for these troubles elsewhere.
28. It is a capital evil with respect to the question We are discussing to take for granted that
the one class of society is of itself hostile to the other, as if nature had set rich and poor
against each other to fight fiercely in implacable war. This is so abhorrent to reason and truth
that the exact opposite is true; for just as in the human body the different members harmonize
with one another, whence arises that disposition of parts and proportion in the human figure
rightly called symmetry, so likewise nature has commanded in the case of the State that the
two classes mentioned should agree harmoniously and should properly form equally balanced
counterparts to each other. Each needs the other completely: neither capital can do without
labor, nor labor without capital. Concord begets beauty and order in things. Conversely, from
perpetual strife there must arise disorder accompanied by bestial cruelty. But for putting an
end to conflict and for cutting away its very roots, there is wondrous and multiple power in
Christian institutions.
29. And first and foremost, the entire body of religious teaching and practice, of which the
Church is interpreter and guardian, can pre-eminently bring together and unite the rich and
4 Genesis 3,17.
the poor by recalling the two classes of society to their mutual duties, and in particular to
those duties which derive from justice.
30. Among these duties the following concern the poor and the workers: To perform entirely
and conscientiously whatever work has been voluntarily and equitably agreed upon; not in
any way to injure the property or to harm the person of employers; in protecting their own
interests, to refrain from violence and never to engage in rioting; not to associate with vicious
men who craftily hold out exaggerated hopes and make huge promises, a course usually
ending in vain regrets and in the destruction of wealth.
31. The following duties, on the other hand, concern rich men and employers: Workers are
not to be treated as slaves; justice demands that the dignity of human personality be respected
in them, ennobled as it has been through what we call the Christian character. If we hearken
to natural reason and to Christian philosophy, gainful occupations are not a mark of shame to
man, but rather of respect, as they provide him with an honorable means of supporting life. It
is shameful and inhuman, however, to use men as things for gain and to put no more value on
them than what they are worth in muscle and energy. Likewise it is enjoined that the religious
interests and the spiritual well- being of the workers receive proper consideration. Wherefore,
it is the duty of employers to see that the worker is free for adequate periods to attend to his
religious obligations; not to expose anyone to corrupting influences or the enticements of sin,
and in no way to alienate him from care for his family and the practice of thrift. Likewise,
more work is not to be imposed than strength can endure, nor that kind of work which is
unsuited to a worker's age or sex.
32. Among the most important duties of employers the principal one is to give every worker
what is justly due him. Assuredly, to establish a rule of pay in accord with justice, many
factors must be taken into account. But, in general, the rich and employers must remember
that no laws, either human or divine, permit them for their own profit to oppress the needy
and the wretched or to seek gain from another's want. To defraud anyone of the wage due
him is a great crime that calls down avenging wrath from Heaven, "Behold, the wages of the
laborers...which have been kept back by you unjustly, cry out: and their cry has entered into
the ears of the Lord of Hosts."5 Finally, the rich must religiously avoid harming in any way
the savings of the workers either by coercion, or by fraud, or by the arts of usury; and the
more for this reason, that the workers are not sufficiently protected against injustices and
violence, and their property, being so meager, ought to be regarded as all the more sacred.
Could not the observance alone of the foregoing laws remove the bitterness and the causes of
the conflict?
33. But the Church, with Jesus Christ as her teacher and leader, seeks greater things than this;
namely, by commanding something more perfect, she aims at joining the two social classes to
each other in closest neighborliness and friendship. We cannot understand and evaluate
mortal things rightly unless the mind reflects upon the other life, the life which is immortal. If
this other life indeed were taken away, the form and true notion of the right would
immediately perish; nay, this entire world would become an enigma insoluble to man.
Therefore, what we learn from nature itself as our teacher is also a Christian dogma and on it
the whole system and structure of religion rests, as it were, on its main foundation; namely,
that, when we have left this life, only then shall we truly begin to live. God has not created
5 St. James 5,4.
man for the fragile and transitory things of this world, but for Heaven and eternity, and He
has ordained this earth as a place of exile, not as our permanent home. Whether you abound
in, or whether you lack, riches, and all the other things which are called good, is of no
importance in relation to eternal happiness. But how you use them, that is truly of utmost
importance. Jesus Christ by His "plentiful redemption" has by no means taken away the
various tribulations with which mortal life is interwoven, but has so clearly transformed them
into incentives in virtue and sources of merit that no mortal can attain eternal reward unless
he follows the bloodstained footsteps of Jesus Christ. "If we endure, we shall also reign with
Him."6 By the labors and suffering which He voluntarily accepted, He has wondrously
lightened the burden of suffering and labor, and not only by His example but also by His
grace and by holding before us the hope of eternal reward. He has made endurance of
sorrows easier: "for our present light affliction, which is for the moment, prepares us for an
eternal weight of glory that is beyond all measure.”7
34. Therefore, the well-to-do are admonished that wealth does not give surcease of sorrow,
and that wealth is of no avail unto the happiness of eternal life but is rather a hindrance;8 that
the threats9 pronounced by Jesus Christ, so unusual coming from Him, ought to cause the rich
to fear; and that on one day the strictest account for the use of wealth must be rendered to
God as Judge.
35. On the use of wealth we have the excellent and extremely weighty teaching, which,
although found in a rudimentary stage in pagan philosophy, the Church has handed down in a
completely developed form and causes to be observed not only in theory but in everyday life.
The foundation of this teaching rests on this, that the just ownership of money is distinct from
the just use of money.
36. To own goods privately, as We saw above, is a right natural to man, and to exercise this
right, especially in life in society, is not only lawful, but clearly necessary. "It is lawful for
man to own his own things. It is even necessary for human life."10 But if the question be
asked: How ought man to use his possessions? the Church replies without hesitation: "As to
this point, man ought not regard external goods as his own, but as common so that, in fact, a
person should readily share them when he sees others in need. Wherefore the Apostle says:
'Charge the rich of this world...to give readily, to share with others'."11 No one, certainly, is
obliged to assist others out of what is required for his own necessary use or for that of his
family, or even to give to others what he himself needs to maintain his station in life
becomingly and decently: "No one is obliged to live unbecomingly."12 But when the demands
of necessity and propriety have been met, it is a duty to give to the poor out of that which
6 2 Timothy 2,12.
7 2 Corinthians 417.
8 St. Matthew 19, 23, 24.
9 St. Luke 6, 24, 25.
10 St. Homas, “Summa Theologica”, II-II, Q.66, Art. 2.
11 Ibid., Q.65, Art. 2.
12 St. Thomas, “Summa Theologica”, Q.32, Art.6.
remains. "Give that which remains as alms."13 These are duties not of justice, except in cases
of extreme need, but of Christian charity, which obviously cannot be enforced by legal
action. But the laws and judgments of men yield precedence to the law and judgment of
Christ the Lord, Who in many ways urges the practice of alms- giving: "It is more blessed to
give than to receive,"14 and Who will judge a kindness done or denied to the poor as done or
denied to Himself, "As long as you did it for one of these, the least of My brethren, you did it
for Me."15 The substance of all this is the following: whoever has received from the bounty of
God a greater share of goods, whether corporeal and external, or of the soul, has received
them for this purpose, namely, that he employ them for his own perfection and, likewise, as a
servant of Divine Providence, for the benefit of others. "Therefore, he that hath talent, let him
constantly see to it that he be not silent; he that hath an abundance of goods, let him be on the
watch that he grow not slothful in the generosity of mercy; he that hath a trade whereby he
supports himself, let him be especially eager to share with his neighbor the use and benefit
thereof."16
37. Those who lack fortune's goods are taught by the Church that, before God as judge,
poverty is no disgrace, and that no one should be ashamed because he makes his living by
toil. And Jesus Christ has confirmed this by fact and by deed, Who for the salvation of men,
"being rich, became poor;"17 and although He was the Son of God and God Himself, yet He
willed to seem and to be thought the son of a carpenter; nay, He even did not disdain to spend
a great part of his life at the work of a carpenter. "Is not this the carpenter, the Son of
Mary?"18 Those who contemplate this Divine example will more easily understand these
truths: True dignity and excellence in men resides in moral living, that is, in virtue; virtue is
the common inheritance of man, attainable equally by the humblest and the mightiest, by the
rich and the poor; and the reward of eternal happiness will follow upon virtue and merit
alone, regardless of the person in whom they may be found. Nay, rather the favor of God
Himself seems to incline more toward the unfortunate as a class; for Jesus Christ calls the
poor19 blessed, and He invites most lovingly all who are in labor or sorrow
20 to come to Him
for solace, embracing with special love the lowly and those harassed by injustice. At the
realization of these things the proud spirit of the rich is easily brought down, and the
downcast heart of the afflicted is lifted up; the former are moved toward kindness, the latter
toward reasonableness in their demands. Thus the distance between the classes which pride
seeks is seduced, and it will easily be brought to pass that the two classes, with hands clasped
in friendship, will be united in heart.
13
St. Luke 11, 41.
14 Acts 20, 35.
15 St. Matthew 25, 40.
16 St. Gregory the Great, “In Evang. Hom.” 9,7.
17 2 Corinthians 8,9.
18 St. Mark 6, 3.
19 St. Matthew 5, 3.
20 Matthias 11, 28.
38. Yet, if they obey Christian teachings, not merely friendship but brotherly love also will
bind them to each other. They will feel and understand that all men indeed have been created
by God, their common Father; that all strive for the same object of good, which is God
Himself, Who alone can communicate to both men and angels perfect and absolute
happiness; that all equally have been redeemed by the grace of Jesus Christ and restored to
the dignity of the sons of God, so that they are clearly united by the bonds of brotherhood not
only with one another but also with Christ the Lord, "the first-born among many brethren,"21
and further, that the goods of nature and the gifts of divine grace belong in common and
without distinction to all human kind, and that no one, unless he is unworthy, will be
deprived of the inheritance of Heaven. "But if we are sons, we are also heirs: heirs indeed of
God and joint heirs with Christ."22
39. Such is the economy of duties and rights according to Christian philosophy. Would it not
seem that all conflict would soon cease wherever this economy were to prevail in civil
society?
40. Finally, the Church does not consider it enough to point out the way of finding the cure,
but she administers the remedy herself. For she occupies herself fully in training and forming
men according to discipline and doctrine; and through the agency of bishops and clergy, she
causes the health-giving streams of this doctrine to be diffused as widely as possible.
Furthermore, she strives to enter into men's minds and to bend their wills so that they may
suffer themselves to be ruled and governed by the discipline of divine precepts. And in this
field, which is of first and greatest importance because in it the whole substance and matter of
benefits consists, the Church indeed has a power that is especially unique. For the instruments
which she uses to move souls were given her for this very purpose by Jesus Christ, and they
have an efficacy implanted in them by God. Such instruments alone can properly penetrate
the inner recesses of the heart and lead man to obedience to duty, to govern the activities of
his self-seeking mind, to love God and his neighbors with a special and sovereign love, and to
overcome courageously all things that impede the path of virtue.
41. In this connection it is sufficient briefly to recall to mind examples from history. We shall
mention events and facts that admit of no doubt, namely, that human society in its civil
aspects was renewed fundamentally by Christian institutions; that, by virtue of this renewal,
mankind was raised to a higher level, nay, was called back from death to life, and enriched
with such a degree of perfection as has never existed before and was not destined to be
greater in any succeeding age; and that, finally, the same Jesus Christ is the beginning and
end of these benefits; for as all things have proceeded from Him, so they must be referred
back to Him. When, with the acceptance of the light of the Gospel, the world had learned the
great mystery of the Incarnation of the Word and the redemption of man, the life of Jesus
Christ, God and man, spread through the nations and imbued them wholly with His doctrine,
with His precepts, and with His laws. Wherefore, if human society is to be healed, only a
return to Christian life and institutions will heal it. In the case of decaying societies it is most
correctly prescribed that, if they wish to be regenerated, they must be recalled to their origins.
For the perfection of all associations is this, namely, to work for and to attain the purpose for
which they were formed, so that all social actions should be inspired by the same principle
which brought the society itself into being. Wherefore, turning away from the original
21
Romans 8, 29.
22 Romans 8, 17.
purpose is corruption, while going back to this discovery is recovery. And just as we affirm
this as unquestionably true of the entire body of the commonwealth, in like manner we affirm
it of that order of citizens who sustain life by labor and who constitute the vast majority of
society.
42. But it must not be supposed that the Church so concentrates her energies on caring for
souls as to overlook things which pertain to mortal and earthly life. As regards the non-
owning workers specifically, she desires and strives that they rise from their most wretched
state and enjoy better conditions. And to achieve this result she makes no small contribution
by the very fact that she calls men to and trains them in virtue. For when Christian morals are
completely observed, they yield of themselves a certain measure of prosperity to material
existence, because they win the favor of God, the source and fountain of all goods; because
they restrain the twin plagues of life -- excessive desire for wealth and thirst23 for pleasure --
which too often make man wretched amidst the very abundance of riches; and because
finally, Christian morals make men content with a moderate livelihood and make them
supplement income by thrift, removing them far from the vices which swallow up both
modest sums and huge fortunes, and dissipate splendid inheritances.
43. But, in addition, the Church provides directly for the well- being of the non-owning
workers by instituting and promoting activities which she knows to be suitable to relieve their
distress. Nay, even in the field of works of mercy, she has always so excelled that she is
highly praised by her very enemies. The force of mutual charity among the first Christians
was such that the wealthier ones very often divested themselves of their riches to aid others;
wherefore, "Nor was there anyone among them in want."24 To the deacons, an order founded
expressly for this purpose, the Apostles assigned the duty of dispensing alms daily; and the
Apostle Paul, although burdened with the care of all the churches, did not hesitate to spend
himself on toilsome journeys in order to bring alms personally to the poorer Christians.
Moneys of this kind, contributed voluntarily by the Christians in every assembly, Tertullian
calls "piety's deposit fund," because they were expended to "support and bury poor people, to
supply the wants of orphan boys and girls without means of support, of aged household
servants, and of such, too, as had suffered shipwreck."25
44. Thence, gradually there came into existence that patrimony which the Church has
guarded with religious care as the property of the poor. Nay, even disregarding the feeling of
shame associated with begging, she provided aid for the wretched poor. For, as the common
parent of rich and poor, with charity everywhere stimulated to the highest degree, she
founded religious societies and numerous other useful bodies, so that, with the aid which
these furnished, there was scarcely any form of human misery that went uncared for.
45. And yet many today go so far as to condemn the Church as the ancient pagans once did,
for such outstanding charity, and would substitute in lieu thereof a system of benevolence
established by the laws of the State. But no human devices can ever be found to supplant
Christian charity, which gives itself entirely for the benefit of others. This virtue belongs to
23
1 Timothy 6, 10.
24 Acts 4, 24.
25 Apol. II, 39.
the Church alone, for, unless it is derived from the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, it is in no
wise a virtue; and whosoever departs from the Church wanders far from Christ.
46. But there can be no question that, to attain Our purpose, those helps also which are within
the power of men are necessary. Absolutely all who are concerned with the matter must,
according to their capacity, bend their efforts to this same end and work for it. And this
activity has a certain likeness to Divine Providence governing the world; for generally we see
effects flow from the concert of all the elements upon which as causes these effects depend.
47. But it is now in order to inquire what portion of the remedy should be expected from the
State. By State here We understand not the form of government which this or that people has,
but rather that form which right reason in accordance with nature requires and the teachings
of Divine wisdom approve, matters that We have explained specifically in our Encyclical
"On the Christian Constitution of States."
48. Therefore those governing the State ought primarily to devote themselves to the service
of individual groups and of the whole commonwealth, and through the entire scheme of laws
and institutions to cause both public and individual well-being to develop spontaneously out
of the very structure and administration of the State. For this is the duty of wise
statesmanship and the essential office of those in charge of the State. Now, States are made
prosperous especially by wholesome morality, properly ordered family life, protection of
religion and justice, moderate imposition and equitable distribution of public burdens,
progressive development of industry and trade, thriving agriculture, and by all other things of
this nature, which the more actively they are promoted, the better and happier the life of the
citizens is destined to be. Therefore, by virtue of these things, it is within the competence of
the rulers of the State that, as they benefit other groups, they also improve in particular the
condition of the workers. Furthermore, they do this with full right and without laying
themselves open to any charge of unwarranted interference. For the State is bound by the
very law of its office to serve the common interest. And the richer the benefits which come
from this general providence on the part of the State, the less necessary it will be to
experiment with other measures for the well-being of workers.
49. This ought to be considered, as it touches the question more deeply, namely, that the State
has one basic purpose for existence, which embraces in common the highest and the lowest of
its members. Non-owning workers are unquestionably citizens by nature in virtue of the same
right as the rich, that is, true and vital parts whence, through the medium of families, the body
of the State is constituted; and it hardly need be added that they are by far the greatest number
in every urban area. Since it would be quite absurd to look out for one portion of the citizens
and to neglect another, it follows that public authority ought to exercise due care in safe-
guarding the well-being and the interests of non-owning workers. Unless this is done, justice,
which commands that everyone be given his own, will be violated. Wherefore St. Thomas
says wisely: "Even as part and whole are in a certain way the same, so too that which pertains
to the whole pertains in a certain way to the part also."26 Consequently, among the numerous
and weighty duties of rulers who would serve their people well, this is first and foremost,
namely, that they protect equitably each and every class of citizens, maintaining inviolate that
justice especially which is called distributive.
26
“Summa Theologica”, II-II, O.61, Art. 1 and 2.
50. Although all citizens, without exception, are obliged to contribute something to the sum-
total common goods, some share of which naturally goes back to each individual, yet all can
by no means contribute the same amount and in equal degree. Whatever the vicissitudes that
occur in the forms of government, there will always be those differences in the condition of
citizens without which society could neither exist nor be conceived. It is altogether necessary
that there be some who dedicate themselves to the service of the State, who make laws, who
dispense justice, and finally, by whose counsel and authority civil and military affairs are
administered. These men, as is clear, play the chief role in the Sate, and among every people
are to be regarded as occupying first place, because they work for the common good most
directly and pre-eminently. On the other hand, those engaged in some calling benefit the
State, but not in the same way as the men just mentioned, nor by performing the same duties;
yet they, too, in a high degree, although less directly, serve the common weal. Assuredly,
since social good must be of such a character that men through its acquisition are made
better, it must necessarily be founded on virtue.
51. Nevertheless, an abundance of corporeal and external goods is likewise a characteristic of
a well-constituted State, "the use of which goods is necessary for the practice of virtue."27 To
produce these goods the labor of the workers, whether they expend their skill and strength on
farms or in factories, is most efficacious and necessary. Nay, in this respect, their energy and
effectiveness are so important that it is incontestable that the wealth of nations originates
from no other source than from the labor of workers. Equity therefore commands that public
authority show proper concern for the worker so that from what he contributes to the
common good he may receive what will enable him, housed, clothed, and secure, to live his
life without hardship. Whence, it follows that all those measures ought to be favored which
seem in any way capable of benefiting the condition of workers. Such solicitude is so far
from injuring anyone, that it is destined rather to benefit all, because it is of absolute interest
to the State that those citizens should not be miserable in every respect from whom such
necessary goods proceed.
52. It is not right, as We have said, for either the citizen or the family to be absorbed by the
State; it is proper that the individual and the family should be permitted to retain their
freedom of action, so far as this is possible without jeopardizing the common good and
without injuring anyone. Nevertheless, those who govern must see to it that they protect the
community, because nature has entrusted its safeguarding to the sovereign power in the State
to such an extent that the protection of the public welfare is not only the supreme law, but is
the entire cause and reason for sovereignty; and the constituent parts, because philosophy and
Christian faith agree that the administration of the State has from nature as its purpose, not
the benefit of those to whom it has been entrusted, but the benefit of those who have been
entrusted to it. And since the power of governing comes from God and is a participation, as it
were, in His supreme sovereignty, it ought to be administered according to the example of the
Divine power, which looks with paternal care to the welfare of individual creatures as well as
to that of all creation. If, therefore, any injury has been done to or threatens either the
common good or the interests of individual groups, which injury cannot in any other way be
repaired or prevented, it is necessary for public authority to intervene.
53. It is vitally important to public as well as to private welfare that there be peace and good
order; likewise, that the whole regime of family life be directed according to the ordinances
27
St. Thomas, “De regimine principum”, I, 15.
of God and the principles of nature, that religion be observed and cultivated, that sound
morals flourish in private and public life, that justice be kept sacred and that no one be
wronged with impunity by another, and that strong citizens grow up, capable of supporting,
and, if necessary, of protecting the State. Wherefore, if at any time disorder should threaten
because of strikes or concerted stoppages of work, if the natural bonds of family life should
be relaxed among the poor, if religion among the workers should be outraged by failure to
provide sufficient opportunity for performing religious duties, if in factories danger should
assail the integrity of morals through the mixing of the sexes or other pernicious incitements
to sin, or if the employer class should oppress the working class with unjust burdens or
should degrade them with conditions inimical to human personality or to human dignity, if
health should be injured by immoderate work and such as is not suited to sex or age -- in all
these cases, the power and authority of the law, but of course within certain limits, manifestly
ought to be employed. And these limits are determined by the same reason which demands
the aid of the law, that is, the law ought not to undertake more, nor it go farther, than the
remedy of evils or the removal of danger requires.
54. Rights indeed, by whomsoever possessed, must be religiously protected; and public
authority, in warding off injuries and punishing wrongs, ought to see to it that individuals
may have and hold what belongs to them. In protecting the rights of private individuals,
however, special consideration must be given to the weak and the poor. For the nation, as it
were, of the rich, is guarded by its own defenses and is in less need of governmental
protection, whereas the suffering multitude, without the means to protect itself, relies
especially on the protection of the State. Wherefore, since wage workers are numbered
among the great mass of the needy, the State must include them under its special care and
foresight.
55. But it will be well to touch here expressly on certain matters of special importance. The
capital point is this, that private property ought to be safeguarded by the sovereign power of
the State and through the bulwark of its laws. And especially, in view of such a great flaming
up of passion at the present time, the masses ought to be kept within the bounds of their
moral obligations. For while justice does not oppose our striving for better things, on the
other hand, it does forbid anyone to take from another what is his and, in the name of a
certain absurd equality, to seize forcibly the property of others; nor does the interest of the
common good itself permit this. Certainly, the great majority of working people prefer to
secure better conditions by honest toil, without doing wrong to anyone. Nevertheless, not a
few individuals are found who, imbued with evil ideas and eager for revolution, use every
means to stir up disorder and incite to violence. The authority of the State, therefore, should
intervene and, by putting restraint upon such disturbers, protect the morals of workers from
their corrupting arts and lawful owners from the danger of spoliation.
56. Labor which is too long and too hard and the belief that pay is inadequate not infrequently
give workers cause to strike and become voluntarily idle. This evil, which is frequent and
serious, ought to be remedied by public authority, because such interruption of work inflicts
damage not only upon employers and upon the workers themselves, but also injures trade and
commerce and the general interests of the State; and, since it is usually not far removed from
violence and rioting, it very frequently jeopardizes public peace. In this matter it is more
effective and salutary that the authority of the law anticipate and completely prevent the evil
from breaking out by removing early the causes from which it would seem that conflict
between employers and workers is bound to arise.
57. And in like manner, in the case of the worker, there are many things which the power of
the State should protect; and, first of all, the goods of his soul. For however good and
desirable mortal life be, yet it is not the ultimate goal for which we are born, but a road only
and a means for perfecting, through knowledge of truth and love of good, the life of the soul.
The soul bears the express image and likeness of God, and there resides in it that sovereignty
through the medium of which man has been bidden to rule all created nature below him and
to make all lands and all seas serve his interests. "Fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over
the fishes of the sea and the fowls of the earth."28 In this respect all men are equal, and there
is no difference between rich and poor, between masters and servants, between rulers and
subjects: "For there is the same Lord of all."29 No one may with impunity outrage the dignity
of man, which God Himself treats with great reverence, nor impede his course to that level of
perfection which accords with eternal life in heaven. Nay, more, in this connection a man
cannot even by his own free choice allow himself to be treated in a way inconsistent with his
nature, and suffer his soul to be enslaved; for there is no question here of rights belonging to
man, but of duties owed to God, which are to be religiously observed.
58. Hence follows necessary cessation from toil and work on Sundays and Holy Days of
Obligation. Let no one, however, understand this in the sense of greater indulgence of idle
leisure, and much less in the sense of that kind of cessation from work, such as many desire,
which encourages vice and promotes wasteful spending of money, but solely in the sense of a
repose from labor made sacred by religion. Rest combined with religion calls man away from
toil and the business of daily life to admonish him to ponder on heavenly goods and to pay
his just and due homage to the Eternal Deity. This is especially the nature, and this the cause,
of the rest to be taken on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, and God has sanctioned the
same in the Old Testament by a special law: "Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath Day,"30
and He Himself taught it by His own action; namely the mystical rest taken immediately after
He had created man: "He hath rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had
done."31
59. Now as concerns the protection of corporeal and physical goods, the oppressed workers,
above all, ought to be liberated from the savagery of greedy men, who inordinately use
human beings as things for gain. Assuredly, neither justice nor humanity can countenance the
exaction of so much work that the spirit is dulled from excessive toil and that along with it
the body sinks crushed from exhaustion. The working energy of a man, like his entire nature,
is circumscribed by definite limits beyond which it cannot go. It is developed indeed by
exercise and use, but only on condition that a man cease from work at regular intervals and
rest. With respect to daily work, therefore, care ought to be taken not to extend it beyond the
hours that human strength warrants. The length of rest intervals ought to be decided on the
basis of the varying nature of the work, of the circumstances of time and place, and of the
physical condition of the workers themselves. Since the labor of those who quarry stone from
the earth, or who mine iron, copper, or other underground materials, is much more severe and
harmful to health, the working period for such men ought to be correspondingly shortened.
28
Genesis 1, 28.
29 Romans 10, 12.
30 Exodus 20, 8.
31 Genesis 2, 2.
The seasons of the year also must be taken into account; for often a given kind of work is
easy to endure in one season but cannot be endured at all in another, or not without the
greatest difficulty.
60. Finally, it is not right to demand of a woman or a child what a strong adult man is capable
of doing or would be willing to do. Nay, as regards children, special care ought to be taken
that the factory does not get hold of them before age has sufficiently matured their physical,
intellectual, and moral powers. For budding strength in childhood, like greening verdure in
spring, is crushed by premature harsh treatment; and under such circumstances all education
of the child must needs be foregone. Certain occupations, likewise, are less fitted for women,
who are intended by nature for work of the home -- work indeed which especially protects
modesty in women and accords by nature with the education of children and the well-being
of the family. Let it be the rule everywhere that workers be given as much leisure as will
compensate for the energy consumed by toil, for rest from work is necessary to restore
strength consumed by use. In every obligation which is mutually contracted between
employers and workers, this condition, either written or tacit, is always present, that both
kinds of rest be provided for; nor would it be equitable to make an agreement otherwise,
because no one has the right to demand of, or to make an agreement with anyone to neglect
those duties which bind a man to God or to himself.
61. We shall now touch upon a matter of very great importance, and one which must be
correctly understood in order to avoid falling into error on one side or the other. We are told
that free consent fixes the amount of a wage; that therefore the employer, after paying the
wage agreed to would seem to have discharged his obligation and not to owe anything more;
that only then would injustice be done if either the employer should refuse to pay the whole
amount of the wage, or the worker should refuse to perform all the work to which he had
committed himself; and that in those cases, but in no others, is it proper for the public
authority to safeguard the rights of each party.
62. An impartial judge would not assent readily or without reservation to this reasoning,
because it is not complete in all respects; one factor to be considered, and one of the greatest
importance, is missing. To work is to expend one's energy for the purpose of securing the
things necessary for the various needs of life and especially for its preservation. "In the sweat
of thy face shalt thou eat bread."32 Accordingly, in man sweat labor has two marks, as it were,
implanted by nature, so that it is truly personal, because work energy inheres in the person
and belongs completely to him by whom it is expended, and for whose use it is destined by
nature; and secondly, that it is necessary, because man has need of the fruit of his labors to
preserve his life, and nature itself, which must be most strictly obeyed, commands him to
preserve it. If labor should be considered only under the aspect that it is personal, there is no
doubt that it would be entirely in the worker's power to set the amount of the agreed wage at
too low a figure. For inasmuch as he performs work by his own free will, he can also by his
own free will be satisfied with either a paltry wage for his work or even with none at all. But
this matter must be judged far differently, if with the factor of personality we combine the
factor of necessity, from which indeed the former is separable in thought but not in reality. In
fact, to preserve one's life is a duty common to all individuals, and to neglect this duty is a
crime. Hence arises necessarily the right of securing things to sustain life, and only a wage
earned by his labor gives a poor man the means to acquire these things.
32
Genesis 3, 19.
63. Let it be granted then that worker and employer may enter freely into agreements and, in
particular, concerning the amount of the wage; yet there is always underlying such
agreements an element of natural justice, and one greater and more ancient than the free
consent of contracting parties, namely, that the wage shall not be less than enough to support
a worker who is thrifty and upright. If, compelled by necessity or moved by fear of a worse
evil, a worker accepts a harder condition, which although against his will he must accept
because an employer or contractor imposes it, he certainly submits to force, against which
justice cries out in protest.
64. But in these and similar questions, such as the number of hours of work in each kind of
occupation and the health safeguards to be provided, particularly in factories, it will be better,
in order to avoid unwarranted governmental intervention, especially since circumstances of
business, season, and place are so varied, that decision be reserved to the organizations of
which We are about to speak below, or else to pursue another course whereby the interests of
the workers may be adequately safeguarded -- the State, if the occasion demands, to furnish
help and protection.
65. If a worker receives a wage sufficiently large to enable him to provide comfortably for
himself, his wife and his children, he will, if prudent, gladly strive to practice thrift; and the
result will be, as nature itself seems to counsel, that after expenditures are deducted there will
remain something over and above through which he can come into the possession of a little
wealth. We have seen, in fact, that the whole question under consideration cannot be settled
effectually unless it is assumed and established as a principle, that the right of private
property must be regarded as sacred. Wherefore, the law ought to favor this right and, so far
as it can, see that the largest possible number among the masses of the population prefer to
own property.
66. If this is done, excellent benefits will follow, foremost among which will surely be a more
equitable division of goods. For the violence of public disorder has divided cities into two
classes of citizens, with an immense gulf lying between them. On the one side is a faction
exceedingly powerful because exceedingly rich. Since it alone has under its control every
kind of work and business, it diverts to its own advantage and interest all production sources
of wealth and exerts no little power in the administration itself [sic] of the State. On the other
side are the needy and helpless masses, with minds inflamed and always ready for disorder.
But if the productive activity of the multitude can be stimulated by the hope of acquiring
some property in land, it will gradually come to pass that, with the difference between
extreme wealth and extreme penury removed, one class will become neighbor to the other.
Moreover, there will surely be a greater abundance of the things which the earth produces.
For when men know they are working on what belongs to them, they work with far greater
eagerness and diligence. Nay, in a word, they learn to love the land cultivated by their own
hands, whence they look not only for food but for some measure of abundance for themselves
and their dependents. All can see how much this willing eagerness contributes to an
abundance of produce and the wealth of a nation. Hence, in the third place, will flow the
benefit that men can easily be kept from leaving the country in which they have been born
and bred; for they would not exchange their native country for a foreign land if their native
country furnished them sufficient means of living.
67. But these advantages can be attained only if private wealth is not drained away by
crushing taxes of every kind. For since the right of possessing goods privately has been
conferred not by man's law, but by nature, public authority cannot abolish it, but can only
control its exercise and bring it into conformity with the commonweal. Public authority
therefore would act unjustly and inhumanly, if in the name of taxes it should appropriate from
the property of private individuals more than is equitable.
68. Finally, employers and workers themselves can accomplish much in this matter,
manifestly through those institutions by the help of which the poor are opportunely assisted
and the two classes of society are brought closer to each other. Under this category come
associations for giving mutual aid; various agencies established by the foresight of private
persons to care for the worker and likewise for his dependent wife and children in the event
that an accident, sickness, or death befalls him; and foundations to care for boys and girls, for
adolescents, and for the aged.
69. But associations of workers occupy first place, and they include within their circle clearly
all the rest. The beneficent achievements of the guilds of artisans among our ancestors have
long been well known. Truly, they yielded noteworthy advantages not only to artisans, but, as
many monuments bear witness, brought glory and progress to the arts themselves. In our
present age of greater culture, with its new customs and ways of living, and with the
increased number of things required by daily life, it is most clearly necessary that workers'
associations be adapted to meet the present need. It is gratifying that societies of this kind
composed either of workers alone or of workers and employers together are being formed
everywhere, and it is truly to be desired that they grow in number and in active vigor.
Although We have spoken of them more than once, it seems well to show in this place that
they are highly opportune and are formed by their own right, and, likewise to show how they
should be organized and what they should do.
70. Inadequacy of his own strength, learned from experience, impels and urges a man to
enlist the help of others. Such is the teaching of Holy Scripture: "It is better therefore that two
should be together than one; for they have the advantage of their society. If one fall he shall
be supported by the other; woe to him that is alone, for when he falleth he hath none to lift
him up."33 And this also: "A brother that is helped by his brother, is like a strong city."
34 Just
as man is drawn by this natural propensity into civil union and association, so he also seeks
with his fellow citizens to form other societies, admittedly small and not perfect, but societies
none the less.
71. Between these latter and the large society of the State, there is, because of their different
immediate purposes, a very great distinction. The end of civil society concerns absolutely all
members of this society, since the end of civil society is centered in the common good, in
which latter, one and all in due proportion have a right to participate. Wherefore, this society
is called public, because through it "all men share with one another in establishing a
commonwealth."35 On the other hand, societies which are formed, so to speak, within its
bosom are considered private and are such because their immediate object is private
advantage, appertaining to those alone who are thus associated together. "Now a private
33
Ecclesiastes 4, 9-10.
34 Proverbs 18, 19.
35 St. Thomas “contra impugnantes Dei cultum et religionem” 2, 8.
society is one which is formed to carry out some business, as when two or three enter into
association for the purpose of engaging together in trade."36
72. Although private societies exist within the State and are, as it were, so many parts of it,
still it is not within the authority of the State universally and per se to forbid them to exist as
such. For man is permitted by a right of nature to form private societies; the State, on the
other hand, has been instituted to protect and not to destroy natural right, and if it should
forbid its citizens to enter into associations, it would clearly do something contradictory to
itself because both the State itself and private associations are begotten of one and the same
principle, namely, that men are by nature inclined to associate. Occasionally, there are times
when it is proper for the laws to oppose associations of this kind, that is, if they professedly
seek after any objective which is clearly at variance with good morals, with justice, or with
the welfare of the State. Indeed, in these cases the public power shall justly prevent such
associations from forming and shall also justly dissolve those already formed. Nevertheless, it
must use the greatest precaution lest it appear to infringe on the rights of its citizens, and lest,
under the pretext of public benefit it enact any measure that sound reason would not support.
For laws are to be obeyed only insofar as they conform with right reason and thus with the
eternal law of God.37
73. Here come to Our mind for consideration the various confraternities, societies, and
religious orders which the authority of the Church and the piety of Christians have brought
into being; and history down to our own times speaks of the wonderful benefit they have been
to the human race. Since societies of this character, even if judged in the light of reason
alone, have been formed for an honest purpose, it is clear that they have been formed in
accordance with natural right. But in whatever respect they concern religion, they are
properly subject to the Church alone. Therefore those in charge of the State cannot in justice
abrogate to themselves any right over them or assume their administration to themselves.
Rather it is the office of the State to respect, to conserve, and as occasion may require, to
protect them from injustice. Yet we have seen something entirely different being done,
especially at the present time. In many places the State has violated associations of this kind,
and in fact with manifold injury, since it has put them in the bonds of the civil law, has
divested them of their lawful right to be considered legal persons, and has robbed them of
their property. In this property the Church possessed her rights, and individual association
members possessed theirs, as did also the persons who donated this property for a designated
purpose as well as those for whose benefit and relief it had been donated. Consequently, We
cannot refrain from deploring such vicious and unjust acts of robbery, and so much the more
because We see the road being closed to Catholic associations, which are law-abiding and in
every respect useful, at the very time when it is being decreed that most assuredly men are
permitted by law to form associations, and at the very time when this freedom is being
lavishly granted in actual fact to men urging courses of conduct pernicious at once to religion
and to the State.
74. Certainly, the number of associations of almost every possible kind, especially of
associations of workers, is now far greater than ever before. This is not the place to inquire
36
Ibid.
37 “Human law is law only in virtue of its accordance with right reason: and this it is manifest that it flows from
the eternal law. And in so far as it deviates from right reason it is called an unjust law; in such case it is no law
at all, but rather a species of violence.” St. Thomas, “Summa Theologica”, I-II, Q.93, Art. 3 ad 2.
whence many of them originate, what object they have, or how they proceed. But the opinion
is, and it is one confirmed by a good deal of evidence, that they are largely under the control
of secret leaders and that these leaders apply principles which are in harmony neither with
Christianity nor with the welfare of States, and that, after having possession of all available
work, they contrive that those who refuse to join with them will be forced by want to pay the
penalty. Under these circumstances, workers who are Christians must choose one of two
things; either to join associations in which it is greatly to be feared that there is danger to
religion, or to form their own associations and unite their forces in such a way that they may
be able manfully to free themselves from such unjust and intolerable opposition. Can they
who refuse to place man's highest good in imminent jeopardy hesitate to affirm that the
second course is by all means to be followed?
75. Many of our Faith are indeed to be highly commended, who, having rightly perceived
what the times require of them, are experimenting and striving to discover how by honest
means they can raise the non-owning working class to higher living levels. They have
championed their cause and are endeavoring to increase the prosperity of both families and
individuals, and at the same time to regulate justly the mutual obligations which rest upon
workers and employers and to foster and strengthen in both consciousness of duty and
observance of the precepts of the Gospel -- precepts, in truth, which hold man back from
excess and prevent him from overstepping the bounds of moderation and, in the midst of the
widest divergences among persons and things, maintain harmony in the State. For this reason,
we see eminent men meeting together frequently to exchange ideas, to combine their forces,
and to deliberate on the most expedient programs of action. Others are endeavoring to unite
the various kinds of workers in suitable associations, are assisting them with advice and
money, and making plans to prevent a lack of honest and profitable work. The bishops are
giving encouragement and bestowing support; and under their authority and auspices many
from the ranks of the clergy, both regular and diocesan, are showing zealous care for all that
pertains to the spiritual improvement of the members of these associations. Finally, there are
not wanting Catholics of great wealth, yet voluntary sharers, as it were, in the lot of the wage
workers, who by their own generous contributions are striving to found and extend
associations through which the worker is readily enabled to obtain from his toil not only
immediate benefits, but also assurance of honorable retirement in the future. How much good
such manifold and enthusiastic activity has contributed to the benefit of all this is too well
known to make discussion necessary. From all this, We have taken auguries of good hope for
the future, provided that societies of this kind continually grow and that they are founded
with wise organization. Let the State protect these lawfully associated bodies of citizens; let it
not, however, interfere with their private concerns and order of life; for vital activity is set in
motion by an inner principle, and it is very easily destroyed, as We know, by intrusion from
without.
76. Unquestionably, wise direction and organization are essential to these associations in
order that in their activities there be unity of purpose and concord of wills. Furthermore, if
citizens have the free right to associate, as in fact they do, they must also have the right freely
to adopt the organization and rules which they judge most appropriate to achieve their
purpose. We do not feel that the precise character in all details which the aforementioned
direction and organization of associations ought to have can be determined by fast and fixed
rules, since this is a matter to be decided rather in the light of the temperament of each
people, of experiment and practice, of the nature and character of the work, of the extent of
trade and commerce, and of other circumstances of a material and temporal kind, all of which
must be carefully considered. In summary, let this be laid down as a general and constant
law: Workers' associations ought to be so constituted and so governed as to furnish the most
suitable and most convenient means to attain the object proposed, which consists in this, that
the individual members of the association secure, so far as possible, an increase in the goods
of body, of soul, and of prosperity.
77. It is clear, however, that moral and religious perfection ought to be regarded as their
principal goal, and that their social organization as such ought above all to be directed
completely by this goal. For otherwise, they would degenerate in nature and would be little
better than those associations in which no account is ordinarily taken of religion. Besides,
what would it profit a worker to secure through an association an abundance of goods, if his
soul through lack of its proper food should run the risk of perishing? "What doth it profit a
man, if he gain the whole world, but suffer the loss of his own soul?"38 Christ Our Lord
teaches that this in fact must be considered the mark whereby a Christian is distinguished
from a pagan: "After all these things the Gentiles seek -- seek ye first the kingdom of God
and His justice, and all these things shall be given you besides."39 Therefore, having taken
their principles from God, let those associations provide ample opportunity for religious
instruction so that individual members may understand their duties to God, that they may
well know what to believe, what to hope for, and what to do for eternal salvation, and that
with special care they may be fortified against erroneous opinions and various forms of
corruption. Let the worker be exhorted to the worship of God and the pursuit of piety,
especially to religious observance of Sundays and Holy Days. Let him learn to reverence and
love the Church, the common Mother of all, and likewise to observe her precepts and to
frequent her Sacraments, which are the divine means for purifying the soul from the status of
sin and for attaining sanctity.
78. When the regulation of associations are founded upon religion, the way is easy toward
establishing the mutual relations of the members so that peaceful living together and
prosperity will result. Offices in the associations are to be distributed properly in accordance
with the common interest, and in such a way, moreover, that wide difference in these offices
may not create discord. It is of special importance that obligations be apportioned wisely and
be clearly defined, to the end that no one is done an injustice. Let the funds be disbursed
equitably in such a way that the amount of benefit to be paid out to members is fixed
beforehand in accordance with individual needs, and let the rights and duties of employers be
properly adjusted to the rights and duties of workers. If any one in these two groups feels that
he has been injured in any way, nothing is more to be desired than that prudent and upright
men of the same body be available, and that the association regulations themselves prescribe
that the dispute be settled according to the decision of these men.
79. It must also be specially provided that the worker at no time be without sufficient work,
and that the moneys paid into the treasury of the association furnish the means of assisting
individual members in need, not only during sudden and unforeseen changes in industry, but
also whenever anyone is stricken by sickness, by old age, or by misfortune.
80. Through these regulations, provided they are readily accepted, the interests and welfare of
the poor will be adequately cared for. Associations of Catholics, moreover, will undoubtedly
be of great importance in promoting prosperity in the State. Through past events we can,
38
St. Matthew 16, 26.
39 St. Matthew 6, 32, 33.
without temerity, foresee the future. Age presses hard upon age, but there are wondrous
similarities in history, governed as it is by the Providence of God. Who guides and directs the
continuity and the chain of events in accordance with that purpose which He set before
Himself in creating the human race. In the early ages, when the Church was in her youth, We
know that the reproach was hurled at the Christians that the great majority of them lived by
precarious alms or by toil. Yet, although destitute of wealth and power, they succeeded in
winning the good will of the rich and the protection of the mighty. All could see that they
were energetic, industrious, peace-loving, and exemplarily devoted to the practice of justice
and especially of charity. In the presence of life and conduct such as this, all prejudice
vanished, the taunting voices of the malevolent were silenced, and the falsehoods of
inveterate superstition yielded little by little to Christian truth.
81. The condition of workers is a subject of bitter controversy at the present time; and
whether this controversy is resolved in accordance with reason or otherwise, it is in either
event of utmost importance to the State. But Christian workers will readily resolve it in
accordance with reason if, united in associations and under wise leaders, they enter upon the
path which their fathers and their ancestors followed to their own best welfare as well as to
that of the State. For, no matter how strong the power of prejudice and passion in man, yet,
unless perversity of will has deadened the sense of the right and just, the good will of citizens
is certain to be more freely inclined toward those whom they learn to know as industrious and
temperate, and who clearly place justice before profit and conscientious observance of duty
before all else. Under those circumstances there will follow also this great advantage, that no
little hope and opportunity for developing a sound attitude will be afforded those workers
who live in complete disdain of the Christian Faith or in a manner foreign to its profession.
These men, indeed, for the most part, know that they have been deceived by illusory hopes
and by false appearances. They are conscious of being most inhumanly treated by greedy
employers, that almost no greater value is placed on them than the amount of gain they yield
by their toil, and that in the associations, moreover, in whose meshes they are caught, there
exist in place of charity and love, internal dissensions which are the inseparable companions
of aggravating and irreligious poverty. Broken in spirit, and worn out in body, how gladly
many would free themselves from a servitude so degrading! Yet they dare not because either
human shame or the fear of want prevents them. It is remarkable how much associations of
Catholics can contribute to the welfare of all such men if they invite those wavering in
uncertainty to their bosom in order to remedy their difficulties, and if they receive the
penitents into their trust and protection.
82. These, Venerable Brethren, are the persons, and this is the procedure to be employed in
dealing with this most difficult question. Everyone according to his position ought to gird
himself for the task, and indeed as speedily as possible, lest, by delaying the remedy, the evil,
which is already of vast dimensions, become incurable. Let those in charge of States make
use of the provision afforded by laws and institutions; let the rich and employers be mindful
of their duties; let the workers, whose cause is at stake, press their claims with reason. And
since religion alone, as We said in the beginning, can remove the evil, root and branch, let all
reflect upon this: First and foremost Christian morals must be re-established, without which
even the weapons of prudence, which are considered especially effective, will be of no avail,
to secure well-being.
83. So far as the Church is concerned, at no time and in no manner will she permit her efforts
to be wanting, and she will contribute all the more help in proportion as she has more
freedom of action. Let this be understood in particular by those whose duty it is to promote
the public welfare. Let the members of the Sacred Ministry exert all their strength of mind
and all their diligence, and Venerable Brethren, under the guidance of your authority and
example, let them not cease to impress upon men of all ranks the principles of Christian
living as found in the Gospel; by all means in their power let them strive for the well-being of
people; and especially let them aim both to preserve in themselves and to arouse in others, in
the highest equally as well as in the lowest, the mistress and queen of the virtues, Charity.
Certainly, the well-being which is so longed for is chiefly to be expected from an abundant
outpouring of charity; of Christian charity, we mean, which is in epitome the law of the
Gospel, and which, always ready to sacrifice itself for the benefit of others, is man's surest
antidote against the insolence of the world and immoderate love of self; the divine office and
features of this virtue being described by the Apostle Paul in these words: "Charity is patient,
is kind...is not self- seeking...bears with all things...endures all things."40
84. As a pledge of Divine favor and as a token of Our affection, most lovingly in the Lord
We bestow on each of you, Venerable Brethren, on your clergy and on your people, the
Apostolic Blessing.
85. Given in Rome, at St. Peter's, the 15th day of May, in the year 1891, the fourteenth of Our
Pontificate.
Leo XIII
40
1 Corinthians 13, 4-7.